. >>> deal or no deal. we're on the edge of our seats. washington, the fiscal cliff suspense is killing us. 29 days in counting until our taxes go up and across the board spending cuts. we still don't know any of the details. instead we're getting lots of mixed messages as to what exactly is going to happen, where things stand. >> there has been progress. >> right now i would say we're nowhere. >> i'm increasingly pessimistic. >> so tonight, two men who have lots of experience dealing with lawmakers. paul begala, david frum, former adviser to president george w. bush. gentlemen, nice to have you both. david, let's start with you. depending on who you listen to, it's either going great or not going well at all. they're either optimistic or completely pessimistic. which is it? >> i feel about this whole process as a basketball nonfan, i feel about basketball, which is start it 100-100 and play for five minutes to get it over with. but i think we also need to take a step back and realize just how lunatic this whole process is. what the united states does not need right now is either spending